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Here is some recent forum discussion about how to avoid dangerous tire blowouts on Vespa and Lambretta scooters:

Is there a manufacturer, that makes those flatproof tires in a 10x3.5 that would be good for the [LML] stella? havent found much online, but it would be great to know i wont have a catastrophic blow out. there have been quite a few scooterists around here get very badly injured due to blowouts recently. most recently a couple with no medical insurance had a blowout on a honda elite going about 60, and were both roadrashed head to toe and injured badly. one of them was nearly killed. they had to sell their other scooters to pay for treatment.

And in reply:

Your best bet about preventing catastrophic blowouts is to start using tubeless rims and tires.

And the pudding with the proof in it:

I have the ScootRS tubeless rims and Michelin S-1s and was able to ride out a front flat at somewhere around 50 [mph].

So, in review we have 2 options:

No tubeless rims? “Quite a few scooterists” suffering blowouts and some are “nearly killed.”

With ScootRS tubeless rims? As designed, “was able to ride out a front flat at 50 [mph].”

Conclusion? No solution will ever be perfect given that our old scooters all depend on skinny tires and valves, but if every Vespa and Lambretta used ScootRS tubeless rims, classic scootering would be substantially safer.

That's why we invented them and since released in 2006 our current v.3 tubeless rim has never failed. $49 in 4 colors, or $89 in high-grade stainless steel. What are you waiting for?

We're always looking for ways to make small improvements to our items as a natural part of the process.

Our v.3 tubeless rim for Lambretta & Vespa has been flawless since released in 2006, not a single failure, but we still make small improvements if possible. Recently we changed a machining process that made them a little bit nicer and eliminated some intermediary processing.

Here's a photo today of our stainless steel tubeless rim straight off the “curling” machine, before the edges are done:

Perfect! Nice, huh?

On another note, we're considering no longer including a free valve with our tubeless rims, same as other sellers of rims. Unfortunately, while our rims have been absolutely flawless for many years, they get blamed whenever anyone has any issue with a valve. By not including one, it will eliminate any innocent misdirection or deliberate nationalistic propaganda blaming the “Vietnam” rims for no reason.

If you read about problems with valve stems around the world, it very obviously has nothing to do with our rims at all, it is the exact same for every type of tubeless rim in the world, though they are still vastly safer than tubed rims which have constant blowouts. Should the entire world move back to tubes? That would truly be dangerous.

Recently, for example, someone changed all his valves on the “safety” advice of others - we said not to - and got a poor one, or it was poorly installed and tore the core. Naturally it was blamed on the UK company that installed it the rim with an impossible theory that somehow it must have become red hot and sliced through the stationary industrial rubber valve “like butter”. And then it was claimed there were “dozens” of failures of our rim when not a single v.3 rim has ever failed!

We're not sure yet but, because of this misdirection, it looks like we will unfortunately no longer include a free valve, or maybe just for rims going to the UK. Elsewhere around the world it is not an issue. People can then use a valve of their choice and spend as much or as little on them as they want.

Overall, it is incredible to think how many dangerous blowouts have been eliminated by ScootRS tubeless rims in the 6 years since invented, how many accidents prevented, and even how many lives maybe saved. We're very proud of them.

Here again are quotes from our tubeless customers:

[SRP Racetech race team, BSSO:] I finished the season by winning the Group 6 Championship. Ralph & I also won the Group 8 & Overall Sidecar Championship. There has been much interest in your tubeless rims, of which I cannot sing their praises enough.

A lot of the lads in my club have gone to tubeless on their TS1's and are all raving about them one lad had a 3 inch nail go into his tyre last year on the way to a rally (at high speed) and it gently went down - normally would have had him off.

One of my barrel fins went straight through my scootRS tubeless [tire] at high speed but still gave me time to get it under control and stop. If it was a tube I recon I would have lost it. No problems with fitting hub or tyre change.

I'm coming in to my second year now on these scootRS tubeless rims, covered some thousand odd miles, no problems as yet touch wood, feel a whole lot safer with these under me.

I've just used ScootRS rims for [riding to] Austria, 2,300+ miles up and down mountains, along motorways and hairpins and in all sorts of conditions/weather with no probs. Haven't used any kind of tyre seal but might do over the winter. Definitely recommend them to anyone.

a quick note to say how pleased i am with my lambretta tubeless rims, 10,000+ miles and not a problem, 2 punctures (1 with pillion), machine was controllable on both occasions, many many thanks

Over 7000 miles on ScootRS tubeless rims and I'm on my second set of tyres. No problems at all. I have only had to top up the air on 2 or 3 occasions over the last 3 years which indicates the quality of the valves and the seal on the bead.

Their first trip was on the rear of the scooter when it went two-up to Holland for a custom show soon after the article. Since then it has been to a rally and race-track in France, numerous places in the UK, as well as being used as a commuter scooter and workhorse.

Sometime during all this the tyre emigrated to the front of the scoot, and even after spending six months in the garage without being ridden while I was off enjoying the Vespa GTS, the PX was pushed back into service and the tyre with the ScootRS rim needed barely any air in it.

As such once complete and fitted the ScootRS rim has done exactly what it's meant to.

That's right but we already do one so that's not the special aspect. Hmmm...

As a few people have guessed now, it is a standard Lambretta inboard disc brake but for drum links, not disc links. That means it can easily be fit to most scooters as-is. No longer will you need to find and buy expensive disc links; no longer will you need to go through the painful process of changing links (or hiring someone to do it). If you want to add front dampers, just use a damper add-on kit.

When finished, we'll add this item onsite. And congratulations to the first person who emailed us with the correct answer and is getting a free one!

Glad to hear you like how well they ride. In the original Scootering review in 2004 they actually noted that our tubeless rims are “both sufficiently true and a much better fit on a Lambretta hub than many of the poor-quality pattern Lambretta split-rims currently available”.